Dubai South Aviation Launches Aerospace Complex as Part of 2018 Growth Plans

Aviation District, the integrated aerospace ecosystem within Dubai South, has added another phase – a Suppliers Complex - to the development of its world leading ‘Aerospace Supply Chain’ offering maintenance and manufacturing solutions to meet all the practical aspects of the aviation and aerospace industries.

The Dubai South ‘Aerospace Supply Chain’ is a landside free zone development of multi-purpose buildings for businesses that are a part of the global aerospace supply chain which caters specifically from small to medium enterprises in the global MRO (Maintenance, Repair and Overhaul) sector.

The development is aligned with the Dubai Industrial strategy where the government has outlined 14 strategic initiatives to develop the aerospace cluster over the next 13 years.

The Dubai South Aviation district is divided into four business verticals – General Aviation which is home to the VIP Terminal, hangars, fuel farm, catering, ground handling, helicopter operations; Maintenance and Technical Support which includes a paint shop, the MROs and the aerospace supply chain; a Commercial Strip which has retail & hotel, and the exhibition area; and an Education and Training vertical that hosts the Emirates Flight Training Academy, simulators and different universities and vocational training institutes.

Aviation District’s investment plan until 2018 of AED200 million (US$55 million) in the ‘Aerospace Supply Chain’ includes two aerospace supply chain buildings and one Suppliers Complex.

The ‘Aerospace Supply Chain’ has successfully completed the Supply Chain Building which was launched as the inaugural project by Aviation District earlier this year. The building includes front offices and workshop spaces spread across 749 sq.metres of workshop and 149 sq.metres of office spaces per unit. The development of the second building is expected to commence in 2018.

The supply chain zone is already home to Lufthansa Technik, GE Aviation and AAI (Advance Aerospace Industry).

The Suppliers Complex is designed to allow for easy and quick start-up for aerospace companies. The G+3 complex development will offer over 12,000 sq.metres of light industrial space for companies providing support services such as fixed-based operations, maintenance, repair and overhaul, and supply of aircraft parts, chartering, freight forwarding and fleet management.

Tahnoon Saif, Vice President of Aviation at Dubai South, said: “The ‘Aerospace Supply Chain’ freezone at Dubai South’s Aviation District is aligned with the vision of His Highness Sheikh Mohammed bin Rashid Al Maktoum to make Dubai the aviation capital of the world. We have earmarked a budget of AED2.5 billion (US$685 million) up to 2018 for the development of maintenance, General Aviation, training & education sectors.

“We will continue to offer opportunities for companies to strengthen and widen their base and provide sectoral knowhow in the aviation sector. The ‘Aerospace Supply Chain’ will also provide sufficient opportunities in the areas of MRO, education, manufacturing, research and development and aerospace industries.”

Aviation District has new partners in addition to existing ones such as GE Aviation, Lufthansa Technik, AAI, Emirates Flight Academy, STTS Paint facility, Falcon Maintenance Hangar, DC Aviation Al Futtaim, Emirates Catering, JETEX, Jet Aviation, Execujet and Dubai Duty Free.

Announcements made so far at the Dubai Airshow 2017 include the new JETEX contract to build a hangar, the opening of DC Aviation Al Futtaim’s second hangar, the launch of Emirates Flight Academy, Jet Aviation’s opening of its FBO at the VIP Terminal and the agreement to open Dynamic Advanced Training’s cabin crew training facility.

Spanning an area of seven square kilometres, the Dubai South Aviation district is the permanent home of the Dubai Airshow and caters to all practical aspects of private and general aviation.

As the world’s first master-planned airport city, Dubai South is concentrating on building state-of-the-art infrastructure around the Al Maktoum International, thus creating a thriving aviation   ecosystem. The Aviation District provides a specialised business environment that meets all the needs of the aviation industry.